desertification en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree English desert Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -ficātiō Old French -ificationbor. Middle English -ificacioun English -ification English desertification From desert + -ification (“process of becoming”).
Meanings
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(uncountable) The process by which a geographic region becomes a desert, resulting from natural changes in climate or by human activity.
A first major shift in physical scientists' perception of the Sahel and desertification, defined as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities” (United Nations 1994), occurred following the introduction in the early 1980s of novel remote sensing technology to monitor vegetation cover. […] Given the role of climate in desertification and regreening, resolving the attribution question (i.e., of land cover change to climatic or human factors) is of relevance to adaptation to climate change
2016 January 1, Giannini et al., “A Quantitative Evaluation of the Multiple Narratives of the Recent Sahelian Regreening”, in Weather, Climate, and Society, archived from the original on 16 Jan 2026:Desertification, as defined by the CCD, means "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities."
1998, “Fact Sheet: Desertification”, in United States Department of State, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2019:desertification – the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi-arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate change
2003, Central Intelligence Agency, The 2003 CIA World Factbook, archived from the original on 07 Dec 2025:
Antonyms
reforestation · regreening · afforestation
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
land degradation · desertization
Translations (37)
de Desertifikation (process by which a region becomes a desert) · cmn 荒漠化 (process by which a region becomes a desert) · uk опустелювання (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ru опусты́нивание (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ja 砂漠化 (process by which a region becomes a desert) · it desertificazione (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ko 사막화 (process by which a region becomes a desert) · nl woestijnvorming (process by which a region becomes a desert) · fr désertification (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ne मरुभूमिकरण (process by which a region becomes a desert) · es desertización (process by which a region becomes a desert) · pt desertificação (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ms penggurunan (process by which a region becomes a desert) · cmn 沙漠化 (process by which a region becomes a desert) · kk шөлейттену (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ro desertizare (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ar تَصَحُّر (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ro desertizație (process by which a region becomes a desert) · pl pustynnienie (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ru дезертифика́ция (process by which a region becomes a desert) · be апустыньванне (process by which a region becomes a desert) · fi aavikoituminen (process by which a region becomes a desert) · kk шөлге айналу (process by which a region becomes a desert) · kk шөлдену (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ms desertifikasi (process by which a region becomes a desert) · el ερημοποίηση (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ro desertificare (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ca desertització (process by which a region becomes a desert) · de fortschreitende Wüstenbildung (process by which a region becomes a desert) · oc desertificacion (process by which a region becomes a desert) · nl verwoestijning (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ca desertificació (process by which a region becomes a desert) · sv ökenspridning (process by which a region becomes a desert) · es desertificación (process by which a region becomes a desert) · mk опустинување (process by which a region becomes a desert) · hu elsivatagosodás (process by which a region becomes a desert) · ro desertificație (process by which a region becomes a desert)